She threw up in the taxi on the way from Gardermoen. The young girl, with dark, half-length hair, had traveled far. The plane she came on landed in Norway on Tuesday 18 July. The police had stopped her at passport control. They believed that the girl standing in front of them was not the same girl who was pictured in the passport. She was reported. Left with her things The girl’s form was so bad that no questioning was ever carried out. She still managed to say that she was from Eritrea, and that she was 17 years old. In the papers for the police, she is listed as 15 years old. She wanted to apply for asylum in Norway. Myseby asylum center for unaccompanied minors Photo: news A taxi drove her to Mysebu, an asylum center for children and young people just outside Oslo. It was late. She had asked for internet, she needed it to use her phone. The last time the reception staff saw her was at eleven o’clock in the evening. The next morning she was gone. No one knows who the girl contacted. Back in the room was a pair of pink shoes, a mobile phone case, a small leather bag and a pink rucksack with a wide smiley face on it. Still breaking the guidelines news has revealed that several hundred asylum children have disappeared in recent years. The police have done little to find them. This created a great debate in the Storting. The police admitted routine failures and inadequate work. They set up a working group that has been working on changing the routines. But now news can tell how the disappearances continue without routines being followed. Wanted five days later – I get sad and worried every time someone disappears, says Myrteza Shini. He is a manager at the reception the girl disappeared from this summer, but due to confidentiality he cannot comment on individual cases. The employees had reported the girl missing the day after she disappeared. But it was five days before the police opened a case and called for the girl. This despite the fact that the guidelines state that a missing person must be registered immediately. The police called the asylum reception. Then the matter was closed. The pink bag was left at reception. – It is unfortunate that the girl was not formally wanted earlier, and it is a breach of our existing routines, writes police inspector Bente Elisabeth Gerner in an e-mail to news. She writes that the police called reception and conducted an interview with one of the employees. Furthermore, the Police’s immigration unit (PU) and local child welfare services were notified. – The girl is young and has arrived in Norway with a passport that does not belong to her. Beyond this, we believe that there is no other evidence to assume that the girl has been subjected to a criminal offence, writes Gerner. She confirms that this is the reason why the police did not prioritize doing more in this case. – The authorities are turning a blind eye – It sounds like history is repeating itself and that the authorities are turning a blind eye, says Kristine Aarre Hånes. She has worked as a lawyer for asylum seekers for a number of years. Several times she has had clients who have disappeared from reception and been forced into prostitution by backers. – Instead of extending a hand, caring and helping her, they choose to report her and send her to a shelter. I react to that, says Aarre Hånes. Lawyer Kristine Aarre Hånes Photo: Ronald Hole Fossåskaret / news Because the girl was concerned about getting access to the internet, and has left reception in the middle of the night without knowing Norwegian or English, there are many indications that she has contacts here, the lawyer believes. – I think there is a high chance that this is a matter of human trafficking, says Aarre Hånes. She was also the lawyer for Agathe, the girl who was supposed to go on the bus in Jølster lille New Year’s Eve in 2015, but disappeared. Then she warned about the danger of human trafficking, but nothing happened. – It is very worrying that you have not learned, she says. Demands the Minister of Justice on the field – This is the protection of vulnerable children and then it is extra important to act quickly to prevent or reduce danger, says Camilla Scharffscher Engeset from Save the Children. Camilla Scharffscher Engeset in Save the Children Photo: Kristine Næss Larsen The fact that the disappearances continue without the children being searched for shows that a greater investigation and long-term system changes are needed to protect the children better, Engeset believes. She cannot comment on individual cases, but has clear expectations of the government. – We demand that the Minister of Justice takes this very seriously. It is high time that this is properly addressed. This is supported by MDG’s deputy chairman, Lan Marie Berg. Storting representative Lan Marie Berg (MDG) Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB – Minister of Justice Mehl has on several occasions advised that the routines for investigations are followed and has come up with non-answers in the case. I believe this underlines the need for scrutiny, which the MDG has proposed in the Storting. The proposal to investigate the disappearance cases was voted down in the Storting this spring. Storting representative Tobias Drevland Lund (R) Photo: Mette Ballovara / news Tobias Drevland Lund from Rødt, who was one of the initiators of the proposal, is shocked that the police did not look for the girl who disappeared this summer. – This is unbelievable! It’s sad to say, but cases like this unfortunately show how little asylum children mean to the authorities, he says. Parliamentary representative Mari Holm Lønseth (R) Photo: Kasper Holgersen – Mehl must ensure that the police follow up the guidelines by giving clear signals to the police, says Mari Holm Lønseth from the Conservative Party. Will not comment news has contacted the Ministry of Justice, which will not comment on the case about the young girl. – The Norwegian Police Directorate’s investigation showed that the police and other actors must improve their response when minors disappear from asylum reception, writes State Secretary Geir Indrefjord (SP) in an email. – The Norwegian Police Directorate, in collaboration with UDI and Bufdir, has therefore made an effort to ensure a common understanding of circulars, terminology, routines and practices in the field. Hello! Thanks for reading. Do you have tips or input for this matter or other things we should write about? Feel free to contact us by email. We have previously written about Agathe and the other asylum children who have disappeared.
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The police are still not looking for asylum children who disappear – news Vestland
